Cruyff14
TheBrownDog
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2011
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- #301
1) Jungleland
Man there's an opera out on the Turnpike, there's a ballet being fought out in the alley
Where do I start? Whatever I say it isn’t going to do the song any justice whatsoever.
Firstly let me start by saying it is by far the greatest song I have ever heard and the greatest song I will ever hear in my life. Nothing can, or ever will surpass it. It is perfection. If God wrote a song, it wouldn’t be as good as Jungleland. It is impossible, in my mind for a better song to be composed than this work of art. Absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, impossible. From start to finish, it leaves me breathless, and even though I know what’s coming next and I have listened to it more times than I have had cooked dinners, it still blows me away that this song actually exists, and was written by someone when they were only 24. When you look at Born To Run, as an album it’s quite amazing the amount of quality that oozes out of it. You’ve got Lost In The Flood, Backstreets, Thunder Road, Born To Run, and of course Jungleland, which are true epics. Amazing.
The first time I heard Jungleland I would have been 18 or 19. I remember either downloading it or ripping it from the Live in NYC CD, but never actually listened to it. So I thought I’d give it a crack. It was instant love. Nothing was going to stop me from holding it in such high esteem. From the start, much like Backstreets, I knew it was phenomenal. I would listen to it before I go to sleep and be in tears by the end of it because of how good it was. Clarence’s solo is something that is almost too good to be believed. But when you realize it’s a Springsteen song, it starts to make sense.
This is where Roy shines the most. While Backstreets and Racing are pivotal parts in showcasing the Professor’s talents, Jungleland is where you really hear what he is capable of. From that delicate intro, to thundering through the verses, to providing the backing during Clarence’s solo, then the backing for the outro, to the energetic playing to close the song out while Bruce is whailing, it’s just wonderful. Even though there is a lot going on, the piano is a foundation which carries Jungleland superbly. Credit to Bruce for writing it and as much credit to Roy for stepping up to the plate and delivering masterfully.
The swirling organ during the intro adds charm and mystery, and a bit of optimism. An underrated and probably doesn’t get enough spotlight, it sits back, and does its job fine enough though.
The tempo builds as the first verse goes on and then all of a sudden by the end of the second verse you’re shouting DOOOOOOOWN IIIIIIIIIN JUUUUUNGLEEEEELAAAAAAAAAAAND at the top of your lungs, like you’re front row centre. By this point we have been introduced to possibly the best characters in a song ever - The Magic Rat and The Barefoot Girl. I mean, how awesome are those names? Anybody could write about Steve, Brian, Joe and so on, but those names are something else. They kind of give of this aura of secrecy and make you want more.
Jungleland is in full swing now. Drums are pounding, guitars are being played with fury, Roy is unrelenting on the piano, Bruce is giving it all vocally. It’s all come together. You can see the passion almost bursting out of Bruce’s veins. Hell, I’d be the same if I wrote something this good too. You can hear it in his voice too, it’s awe-inspiring to watch.
While I think Bob Dylan is the greatest lyricist ever, I think Bruce is very underrated to your John Doe. I mean, look at the lyrics of Jungleland, they are by far the best thing he has ever written, and that is really saying something when you look at the quality of his catalogue. Songs like Lost In The Flood, Incident, Backstreets, NYC Serenade, Racing In The Street are definitely no pushovers, but when Jungleland is incomparable to them, it really is saying something about the quality of the lyrics. You could pick out any line and be blown away.
The rangers had a homecoming in Harlem late last night
And the Magic Rat drove his sleek machine over the Jersey state line
Barefoot girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge
Drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain
The Rat pulls into town rolls up his pants
Together they take a stab at romance and disappear down Flamingo Lane
Well the Maximum Lawman run down Flamingo chasing the Rat and the barefoot girl
And the kids round here look just like shadows always quiet, holding hands
From the churches to the jails tonight all is silence in the world
As we take our stand down in Jungleland
The midnight gang's assembled and picked a rendezvous for the night
They'll meet 'neath that giant Exxon sign that brings this fair city light
Man there's an opera out on the Turnpike
There's a ballet being fought out in the alley
Until the local cops, Cherry Tops, rips this holy night
The street's alive as secret debts are paid
Contacts made, they vanished unseen
Kids flash guitars just like switch-blades hustling for the record machine
The hungry and the hunted explode into rock'n'roll bands
That face off against each other out in the street down in Jungleland
In the parking lot the visionaries dress in the latest rage
Inside the backstreet girls are dancing to the records that the D.J. plays
Lonely-hearted lovers struggle in dark corners
Desperate as the night moves on, just a look and a whisper, and they're gone
Beneath the city two hearts beat
Soul engines running through a night so tender in a bedroom locked
In whispers of soft refusal and then surrender in the tunnels uptown
The Rat's own dream guns him down as shots echo down them hallways in the night
No one watches when the ambulance pulls away
Or as the girl shuts out the bedroom light
Outside the street's on fire in a real death waltz
Between flesh and what's fantasy and the poets down here
Don't write nothing at all, they just stand back and let it all be
And in the quick of the night they reach for their moment
And try to make an honest stand but they wind up wounded, not even dead
Tonight in Jungleland
You cannot pick a bad line. From the Barefoot Girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge, to the Maximum Lawman running down Flamingo Lane, to meeting ‘neath that Giant Exxon sign, to flashing guitars like switchblades. Or how about the backstreet girls dancing to the record that the DJ plays? The poet’s down here don’t write nothing at all is amazing too. The lyrics are faultless. I can’t pick a favourite line, there are that many, it’s just too hard. Sounding like a broken record, but writing this at 24 is almost inconceivable.
Then comes along the defining moment of Clarence Clemons career, and many Bruce fans’ favourite moment. That epic sax solo. Not much needs to be said, I have run out of superlatives to use, everyone knows how good it is. The passion, the emotion, the length, all of it. Max provides a solid foundation too throughout the solo, the crashing of his symbols are awesome.
After Clarence’s moment of glory, we are treated to some very depressing piano chords. They fit with what is coming up though. You can hear the pain in Bruce’s voice. It sounds like he himself has lost someone close to him, the anguish is heartbreaking, and the piano only adds to it. Then there are those final whails. You thought the ones in Something In The Night were filled with pain, these are the epitome of pain.
Then, the epic masterpiece that is Jungleland, is finished.
I’ve written too much already, and interpreting this song is difficult. So I’ll leave you to form your own assumptions of it. Whatever you come to though, it sure as hell will be incredible.
[YOUTUBE]SK5WjPNmcxU[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]VH_NvYPBDY0[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]tGU0z1DGO8E[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]qiBRVqx5IzI[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]zylxfXyTefs[/YOUTUBE]
The third video is the best performance, ever.
Man there's an opera out on the Turnpike, there's a ballet being fought out in the alley
Where do I start? Whatever I say it isn’t going to do the song any justice whatsoever.
Firstly let me start by saying it is by far the greatest song I have ever heard and the greatest song I will ever hear in my life. Nothing can, or ever will surpass it. It is perfection. If God wrote a song, it wouldn’t be as good as Jungleland. It is impossible, in my mind for a better song to be composed than this work of art. Absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, impossible. From start to finish, it leaves me breathless, and even though I know what’s coming next and I have listened to it more times than I have had cooked dinners, it still blows me away that this song actually exists, and was written by someone when they were only 24. When you look at Born To Run, as an album it’s quite amazing the amount of quality that oozes out of it. You’ve got Lost In The Flood, Backstreets, Thunder Road, Born To Run, and of course Jungleland, which are true epics. Amazing.
The first time I heard Jungleland I would have been 18 or 19. I remember either downloading it or ripping it from the Live in NYC CD, but never actually listened to it. So I thought I’d give it a crack. It was instant love. Nothing was going to stop me from holding it in such high esteem. From the start, much like Backstreets, I knew it was phenomenal. I would listen to it before I go to sleep and be in tears by the end of it because of how good it was. Clarence’s solo is something that is almost too good to be believed. But when you realize it’s a Springsteen song, it starts to make sense.
This is where Roy shines the most. While Backstreets and Racing are pivotal parts in showcasing the Professor’s talents, Jungleland is where you really hear what he is capable of. From that delicate intro, to thundering through the verses, to providing the backing during Clarence’s solo, then the backing for the outro, to the energetic playing to close the song out while Bruce is whailing, it’s just wonderful. Even though there is a lot going on, the piano is a foundation which carries Jungleland superbly. Credit to Bruce for writing it and as much credit to Roy for stepping up to the plate and delivering masterfully.
The swirling organ during the intro adds charm and mystery, and a bit of optimism. An underrated and probably doesn’t get enough spotlight, it sits back, and does its job fine enough though.
The tempo builds as the first verse goes on and then all of a sudden by the end of the second verse you’re shouting DOOOOOOOWN IIIIIIIIIN JUUUUUNGLEEEEELAAAAAAAAAAAND at the top of your lungs, like you’re front row centre. By this point we have been introduced to possibly the best characters in a song ever - The Magic Rat and The Barefoot Girl. I mean, how awesome are those names? Anybody could write about Steve, Brian, Joe and so on, but those names are something else. They kind of give of this aura of secrecy and make you want more.
Jungleland is in full swing now. Drums are pounding, guitars are being played with fury, Roy is unrelenting on the piano, Bruce is giving it all vocally. It’s all come together. You can see the passion almost bursting out of Bruce’s veins. Hell, I’d be the same if I wrote something this good too. You can hear it in his voice too, it’s awe-inspiring to watch.
While I think Bob Dylan is the greatest lyricist ever, I think Bruce is very underrated to your John Doe. I mean, look at the lyrics of Jungleland, they are by far the best thing he has ever written, and that is really saying something when you look at the quality of his catalogue. Songs like Lost In The Flood, Incident, Backstreets, NYC Serenade, Racing In The Street are definitely no pushovers, but when Jungleland is incomparable to them, it really is saying something about the quality of the lyrics. You could pick out any line and be blown away.
The rangers had a homecoming in Harlem late last night
And the Magic Rat drove his sleek machine over the Jersey state line
Barefoot girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge
Drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain
The Rat pulls into town rolls up his pants
Together they take a stab at romance and disappear down Flamingo Lane
Well the Maximum Lawman run down Flamingo chasing the Rat and the barefoot girl
And the kids round here look just like shadows always quiet, holding hands
From the churches to the jails tonight all is silence in the world
As we take our stand down in Jungleland
The midnight gang's assembled and picked a rendezvous for the night
They'll meet 'neath that giant Exxon sign that brings this fair city light
Man there's an opera out on the Turnpike
There's a ballet being fought out in the alley
Until the local cops, Cherry Tops, rips this holy night
The street's alive as secret debts are paid
Contacts made, they vanished unseen
Kids flash guitars just like switch-blades hustling for the record machine
The hungry and the hunted explode into rock'n'roll bands
That face off against each other out in the street down in Jungleland
In the parking lot the visionaries dress in the latest rage
Inside the backstreet girls are dancing to the records that the D.J. plays
Lonely-hearted lovers struggle in dark corners
Desperate as the night moves on, just a look and a whisper, and they're gone
Beneath the city two hearts beat
Soul engines running through a night so tender in a bedroom locked
In whispers of soft refusal and then surrender in the tunnels uptown
The Rat's own dream guns him down as shots echo down them hallways in the night
No one watches when the ambulance pulls away
Or as the girl shuts out the bedroom light
Outside the street's on fire in a real death waltz
Between flesh and what's fantasy and the poets down here
Don't write nothing at all, they just stand back and let it all be
And in the quick of the night they reach for their moment
And try to make an honest stand but they wind up wounded, not even dead
Tonight in Jungleland
You cannot pick a bad line. From the Barefoot Girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge, to the Maximum Lawman running down Flamingo Lane, to meeting ‘neath that Giant Exxon sign, to flashing guitars like switchblades. Or how about the backstreet girls dancing to the record that the DJ plays? The poet’s down here don’t write nothing at all is amazing too. The lyrics are faultless. I can’t pick a favourite line, there are that many, it’s just too hard. Sounding like a broken record, but writing this at 24 is almost inconceivable.
Then comes along the defining moment of Clarence Clemons career, and many Bruce fans’ favourite moment. That epic sax solo. Not much needs to be said, I have run out of superlatives to use, everyone knows how good it is. The passion, the emotion, the length, all of it. Max provides a solid foundation too throughout the solo, the crashing of his symbols are awesome.
After Clarence’s moment of glory, we are treated to some very depressing piano chords. They fit with what is coming up though. You can hear the pain in Bruce’s voice. It sounds like he himself has lost someone close to him, the anguish is heartbreaking, and the piano only adds to it. Then there are those final whails. You thought the ones in Something In The Night were filled with pain, these are the epitome of pain.
Then, the epic masterpiece that is Jungleland, is finished.
I’ve written too much already, and interpreting this song is difficult. So I’ll leave you to form your own assumptions of it. Whatever you come to though, it sure as hell will be incredible.
[YOUTUBE]SK5WjPNmcxU[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]VH_NvYPBDY0[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]tGU0z1DGO8E[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]qiBRVqx5IzI[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]zylxfXyTefs[/YOUTUBE]
The third video is the best performance, ever.
to your No 1 and well done on all your work here...aside from my hissy fit a few weeks back about your Top 10 choices, it has been enjoyable finding someone else whose music still moves you...
